Virtual reality head-mounted displays have applications in a variety of fields, including engineering design, medical surgery practice, military simulated practice, and video gaming. For example, virtual reality head-mounted displays may allow users to experience realistic, immersive virtual environments while playing video games, during flight simulation training, or when interacting with co-workers around the globe.
Unfortunately, due to their weight, traditional head-mounted displays may cause a certain degree of discomfort and/or awkwardness when worn. For example, since users typically wear head-mounted displays over their eyes, such head-mounted displays may weigh down the front of the users' heads relative to the back of the users' heads. Specifically, a head-mounted display may place a forward-leaning force on a user's head, thereby causing the user to tip his or her head forward or otherwise placing strain on the user's neck. While the user may counteract that force by holding his or her head still, this can be a very strenuous exercise for the user, especially when done for long periods of time.
In addition, the weight of traditional head-mounted displays may necessitate heavy-duty restraints to maintain a certain positioning when worn. For example, a user may wear a strap around his or her head to hold a head-mounted display in the correct position on his or her face. In this example, the strap may need to withstand a significant amount of force introduced by the head-mounted display in order to hold the head-mounted display in a desired position.